Danica Davidson
September 23, 2021 
In Multi-Mind Mayhem Volume 1: Isekai Tensei Soudouki, Oka Sanai Sadatoshi was a samurai during the Sengoku Period (1467 to 1615). He was a great warrior on the battlefield. And he was obsessed with money. He has just died.
Masaharu Oka was a high school student and complete nerd, who spent his last moments in life thinking about whether he preferred dog ears or cat ears. He was so deeply lost in thought he didn’t pay any attention to the road and got hit by a truck. He has just died.
At first these two see themselves in darkness, but then they get another chance at life. Except they’re not reincarnated as new people . . . instead they find both their spirits stuck in the body of a boy named Bard Cornelius.
Bard lives in a Medieval European fantasy-type world, and it seems having these two men in him makes him act differently. There’s not as much humor about this as one might expect, and only now and then do we see the characters stuck in his body. For the most part it’s just Bard doing things and we assume the other characters are influencing it.
Bard is the son of a count and comes up with a scheme to make money off sugar without using sugar cane. For a while it seems this is going to be the premise, then things get more interesting and complicated as war rears its head. The manga goes into a bit of detail about the kingdoms around it and how one wants to invade another.
Multi-Mind Mayhem is a manga series based on a light novel series. It’s hard to tell where the plot will develop from here, because it’s getting set up for political intrigue and war. But so far the part that’s the most fun would be the different quirky characters. Even if we don’t see as much of the samurai warrior and high school otaku as we do Bard, we do get to meet a roster of fun characters. One who is particularly enjoyable is Bard’s mother, a warrior named “Maggot” who used to work as a mercenary and is still a total badass.
The first volume ends with a good cliffhanger, and then has some four-paneled comics as extras. Multi-Mind Mayhem would probably be most enjoyable to fans of shonen isekai manga.
Original Story: Ryousen Takami
Manga: Honoji
Publisher: One Peace Books
Note: Multi-Mind Mayhem is translated by Otaku USA contributor Matt Schley. He had no input into the content of this review, nor whether the manga would be reviewed.
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
